In Captivity
by LittleGreenOne
Summary: "They may use my body, but my mind is free. In my mind, I escape." She was gone, without a trace, without a suspect, and without any chance of getting back to those she loves; her family, the merry men, and Ranger...oh how she wished she'd had the courage to tell him how she felt. It was too late now. Alright guys, its a Babe, but with some twists and turns thrown in.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I regret to inform y'all that I do not own the Plum universe...sadly, cause I could all kind of things with Ranger if I did.**

Chapter One:

Stephanie Plum let out a soft moan while she stretched out in her bed, she knew it wasn't much, but it was hers none the less, and tried to relieve some of the tightness in her muscles. Her day had been particularly exciting for the accident prone bounty hunter. She had managed to blow not one, not two, but three cars during an apprehension with Lula, her partner in crime and best friend. She had been searching for the apartment of a skip when Lula shouted at her and pointed to a third story window where the man she was looking for was holding a molotov cocktail in one hand and a zippo in the other. The man yelled that he wouldn't be taken alive, lit the rag hanging out of what looked like a Jack Danials bottle and threw it at thier heads. Stephanie and Lula had had just enough time to clear away from her newish car before it went up in a blaze of glorious flames. Unfortunatly both women forgot that they had left Lula's handgun in the front seat, and were quickly reminded when they heard the shot ring out. The bullet caused just enough friction for the flames to engulf the gas tank and shoot the car fifty feet into the air, where it landed on a car nearby and ignited it, from there the fire had spread to a nearby motorcycle. The explosion knocked both women backwards into the building across from the where they had been standing, luckily Steph had landed into a pile of trash bags that were on the curb; not that it didn't hurt any less or make the scene that followed any better. As soon as the vehicles went up in smoke, Stephanie had heard the tell tale sound of the Trenton Police Department, and her on and off again boyfriend Joseph Morelli. Knowing that it wasn't going to end well, she climbed out of the trash pile and tried to stand up. Moments later, and covered in trash, she was surrounded by the members of TPD while they tried to figure out what had happened. She had tried to back away from the mob, only to be stopped by Joe, who demanded to know what had happened while he popped a couple of antiacids and tried to lower his blood pressure. While she recalled the events leading up to the explosions, she could see the vein in his forehead beginning to pulsate, and she knew that argument they'd had over and over was about to be repeated once again. She gave him her best 'burg glare and turned to walk away after telling him where to shove it, running directly into a large midsection covered by a black tee shirt. Her eyes traveled upwards to see Tank smiling down at her in what she could only assume was amusment. She had quickly decided she wasn't in the mood to deal with him and the merry men and stomped off towards her apartment. From there she had spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get the trash out of her hair and watching the Ghostbusters until she was so tired she crawled into bed.

As she lay in bed, she let her mind drift to the other man in her life. Carlos Manoso, also known as Ranger. He was six feet of cuban american deliciousness and badassary. Behind his back, Stephanie, Connie, and Lula all called him 'Batman', but she was sure he knew about it. In fact, there was very little that Ranger didn't know about, so she was sure that he would hear about what had happened earlier in the day, even though he was currently 'in the wind' as he liked to put it. He'd left about a week ago for some third world country on some secret mission that made her worry constantly. There were times before when he had been gone for weeks at a time, but this time her spidey sense was going off in all different directions. She wasn't sure if it was because of him, or something else. All this past week had been filled with odd moments filled with her spidey sense flaring and she didn't know what to make of it. Her apartment hadn't been broken into, she hadn't received any calls that consisted of heavy breathing and nothing else, and she was sure she wasn't being followed by anyone not wearing the typical rangeman outfit. Stephanie allowed her eyes to drift closed as sleep began to take hold of her, her brain finally stopping the many thoughts roaming through her head.

Just as Steph slipped into the world of unconsciousness, the screen of her window slid upwards and a figure slipped into her bedroom. The moonless night hid the intruder well as they made their way to the bed and stood over the woman occupying it. The shadow of a figure reached into his oversized pant pocket and pulled out a small rag and bottle, and after emptying the contents of the bottle into the rag he gently placed a knee onto the edge of the bed before swiftly rolling her over to face him covering her mouth and nose. Rolling her over had awakened her enough to become aware that she wasn't alone, which caused her to inhale deeply before attempting the muffled scream he heard. He held his hand over her face while she struggled, knowing that the drug wouldn't take long to knock her out. He needed her completely compliant for what he needed to do with her. He'd been ordered, and paid, to deliver her to a third party that wanted her for some fun, and not the good kind. He wasn't picky, he needed the money, and it was a bit of a pleasure for him anyway. She was involved with _him,_ and he'd always wanted to get back at _him_ for putting him away all those years ago.

He felt her go limp, and grinned. Oh yes, he was going to have a bit of fun before he dilvered her tomorrow night. Lifting her onto his shoulders, he swiftly, and as carefully as he could manage, carried her down the fire escape, making sure not to leave any kind of finger print behind. And just like that, Stephanie Plum vanished into the night.

 **Author's note: So after a horrifically long hiatus, I'm back and need some reader love in the form of reviews. They make my fingers move oh so much faster. Feel free to leave your thoughts, advice and just whatever you feel like in the review box.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: I'd just like to thank all of you that added this story to your lists and left reviews. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the beginning and I hope that I can live up to your expectations. I am going to say this now, this story is rated M for a reason, and while nothing terribly adult like is gonna take place in this chapter I do feel the need to give you readers a head's up.**

 **Disclaimer: Again, I do not own this universe.**

 **O~O**

Chapter Two: ****

Lester Santos was a dead man.

He knew it the moment he walked into Stephanie's apartment and saw that she wasn't there. All of the tracking devices they had put on or around her person indicated that she was here, he had checked.

It was around 11 O'clock when Lester realized that his partner was an hour late to work, which knowing Steph wasn't out of the ordinary, but when he called her four times in a row with no answer he knew something had to be wrong. He had quickly made his way to the control room and pulled up all the trackers they'd planted on Stephanie, all of which binged inside her apartment. With a shake of his head, Lester headed to the garage, climbed into his black suv and drove to his partner's apartment. When he pulled into the lot, his confusion and concern grew when he noticed that her car was gone, and he knew that the tracker in her car was binging from the lot. Cursing under his breath, he swiftly made his way into the apartment, where he saw all of her trackers sitting on the counter top next to Rex's cage.

He checked every room before finally ending his search in the empty bedroom, and knew in that moment he was a dead man. He sighed defeatedly and pulled out his phone, dialing Tank.

"Yo."

Oh, this was gonna hurt.

"Tank, we have a problem." He sighed.

"The problem better be that the Tasty Pastry is out of Bomber's favorite kind of donut." Tank replied.

"She's gone, Tank." Lester told his friend. The pause on the other end of the line was not exactly what he wanted to hear, and Lester could only imagine the look on the big man's face.

"Oh, shit." Tank's voice was soft, and Lester knew exactly what his train of thought was headed. "You have to tell him."

Son of a bitch. Lester hadn't even thought about that. He knew that Ranger would have to be told, but he was seriously hoping that he wouldn't have to be the one to do it.

As quickly as he could, Lester grabbed Rex's cage and left the apartment, hoping that by some miracle they would from her soon.

 **O~O**

Joseph Morelli walked through the front doors of the Trenton Police Department with a chip on his shoulder and piece of paper in his hand. He stalked towards his office, pushing people out of his way. It was clear that he was having a rough morning by the stubble that had begun to cover his jawline. In fact, he'd looked like he had a rough day for the past week or so. His hair was disheveled and he had dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep, and he knew that his shirt was wrinkled and probably smelled like old cheese, but he didn't care at the moment. The case he'd been working on for the past three months had come to a stand still, and nothing angered him more than the helpless feeling that came with having to watch the families of victims wait for some form of news on their loved ones.

He'd spent the last few months consulting with the missing person's unit of TPD in an effort to stop the amount of trafficking going through the city. They'd had a few leads down on Stark street but nothing panned out. So far fourteen girls had gone missing, ranging in age from sixteen to thirty, and not one shred of evidence had been left behind.

To make matters worse, Stephanie had called off their on again relationship, saying that she couldn't be with him for whatever reason -mostly likely because she was fucking that Ranger guy. Oh, he hated Ranger with an almost unreasonable passion. The guy was shady and toed the line between the law and what was illegal, but as much as he hated him, Joe knew that the guy was good as his job. He'd been brought in on one or two of the department's cases, much to Joe's disgust.

Storming into his office, Joe was met by three of what Steph called the "merry men", and he rolled his eyes in exasperation. He did not have time for any of their bullshit. He walked around them silently and sat down behind his desk, throwing the paper he'd been holding onto its surface. Joe looked up at the three men standing in front of him. He knew their names well enough, Tank, Lester, and Bobby...or maybe it was Robby, either way, he didn't care. He wanted them out of his office, he wanted them out of the building, hell he wanted them out of Trenton. If it hadn't been for these men, his Cupcake would have fallen in line along time ago and he wouldn't be in the position he was in now.

"Listen, cop, we don't want to be here any more than you want us here, so we're just going to ask you a simple question and we need a quick and honest answer." The one called Tank spat out as Joe opened his mouth to ask what they wanted.

"And what might that be?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and giving Tank a scowl. There wasn't anything he knew about anything that they could possibly want to know. He saw a look pass between the three of them and a slight chill ran up his spine, making him lean forward once more. Based on that look, he knew something was wrong, and there was only one reason why they would come to him about anything. Stephanie. "What happened?" He demanded loudly.

"Have you seen her today?" Lester asked almost desperately. Joe could see the raw concern in his eyes and it made his blood boil, but instead of blowing up on them he shook his head silently and watched as they all took a deep unsteady breath.

"Was she suppose to go on any kind of trip?" Bobby asked.

"I know it may come as a shock to you three, but you have seen more of her in the past few days then I have in the past few weeks." Joe snarled softly, leaning back. He took in the confused looks on their faces and chuckled to himself. Apparently, the merry men were as all knowing as his Cupcake made them out to be. "She left me a couple of weeks ago. I'm surprised she didn't mention it, or was she too busy jumping your boss's bones?" He knew that last comment was bound to get him a brand new black eye, but it was worth it.

"You self centered bastard!" Lester shouted and lunged forward as if to give him that black eye, but was swiftly restrained by the two men by his side. "First of all, Stephanie could do so much better than you and I'm glad to hear she finally figured it out! Secondly, our boss is currently out risking his life so that people like you can make half-assed assumptions about who their ex is sleeping with.!"

"Your boss kills people for a living." Joe stated calmly before looking down at a file that was on his desk. "Now, I've answered your question so feel free to leave my office and myself in peace." His eyes never left the folder as he dismissed the mountains in front of him, but he heard them begin to make their way to the door. He knew that baiting them was a bad idea, but he couldn't help the comment that flew out from behind his lips. "And if you see Stephanie, be sure to let her know that she wasn't that good anyway."

"Lester, move, or I swear to god I will knock your ass out, carry you to the car, and strap you to the hood." Joe heard Bobby threaten as he closed the door and chuckled to himself. It really was too easy to rile those jar heads.

Returning his full attention to the file, he found himself looking at the picture of a young girl around the age of eight-teen and sighed heavily. He knew that he wouldn't be able to find the girls without some serious help and he was pretty sure he'd just pissed off his only real option. Damnit, he hated having to apologize, especially to them. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out his phone and dialed in the number for his contact on Stark.

"Morelli. I was wondering when you were gonna call?" The voice on the other end greeted.

"Yeah, it's been a rough night." Joe responded. "Listen, Chip, has there been any activity in the past couple of days?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew he should have stopped and picked up another bottle of pepto.

"Actually, now that you mention it, there was talk that Vincent Nargurelli has skipped town." Chip answered hurriedly. "I was just about to call you about it. One of my...ladies saw him stuffing something into the trunk of his car late last night."

Joe's head snapped up at the new information and he felt his heart drop to his stomach. This was not good. Not good at all. Vincent Nargurelli was the only lead -if you could really call it a lead- to who was behind what was happening to the women in his city, and now he was gone. Joe thanked Chip and hung up, racking his brain, something didn't make sense. The department wasn't anywhere near being able to question the man for anything related to the kidnappings, so Joe was a little confused as to why he would just leave in the middle of the night. Unless...

"SON OF A BITCH!"

 **O~O**

 **Alright, my lovlies, that concludes the second chapter of this story. Now if you would be so kind as to leave a little review for me in the box and prompt my fingers to move a bit quicker than that would be ever so appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Again, thank you for all the reviews. I love reading them and seeing some of the theories you guys come up with. It really does make my day.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Plum universe...but I really wish I did.**

 **O~O**

Chapter Three:

Stephanie felt herself slowly coming into consciousness and almost instantly she knew she wasn't in Kansas anymore. Her body felt tight and cramped, and she could only assume it was because of the tiny space she was currently occupying. For a moment she allowed herself to feel fear, but only for a moment, she knew that if she wanted to get out of whatever situation she was in she needed a clearish mind. She took a deep steadying breath and tried to take in her surroundings, listening to the sound of what could only be the engine of a car. So she was in the trunk of a car, well that would explain the small space and the darkness. Using her hands, she began to feel around to see if she could find the tail light and knock it out -having remembered hearing somewhere that that was a good way to alert other motorists that something was wrong- and failing because of the position she was in.

Realizing that she was stuck for the moment, she racked her brain as to what had happened. She remembered someone attacking her in her bed and that was it. It had been so dark that she hadn't been able to see their face, not to mention she was half asleep. With a huff, Stephanie silently cursed herself for not taking Ranger up on those self defense lessons he had offered her. Oh well, it was too late now, she'd just have to improvise her way out as soon as she had the oppurtunity.

As Stephanie thought about how to get out of the trunk of the car, she felt the vehicle come to an abrupt stop. She listened as the sound of a car door opened and slammed shut, quickly followed by the sound of voices shouting. She noticed that the voices didn't sound angry, they actually sounded like they were excited to see whomever had been driving, which brought Stephanie to the conclusion that they were expecting the car.

Clumsily, Stephanie rolled onto her back, figuring that when someone opened the trunk she could kick out and hopefully land a blow that would give her enough time to escape. Or so she hoped. Quietly, she laid still and listened to the voices outside.

"Hey, Vincy!" She heard a loud, and what sounded italian voice shout. "I hope you have the package?" Stephanie felt herself balk slightly at the thought of being a 'package'.

"Damn skippy I do, and in mint condition too." The man she could only assume was Vincy replied. "She didn't put up much of fight niether." His voice was getting closer and Steph could only assume that he was walking towards the back of the car to open the door and pull her out. "I knocked her out so she wouldn't cause a scene for you guys."

Bracing herself and tightening the muscles in her legs in prepration, Stephanie waited for the door to pop open when she heard someone inserting the key to unlock it. The moment the door sprang open, she aimed a swift kick in the direction of the nearest face and felt something crunch under her feet, followed by a muffled curse and a shout. Quickly, she climbed out of the trunk and grabbed the keys out of the door before running towards the driver's side door. She had just grabbed the handle to open the door when a hand reached out and grabbed her hair, yanking her backwards into a solid mass.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" She shouted, trying to dislodge herself from the grip of her captor, but stilled instantly when she felt the cold steel of a knife blade against her throat.

"Stop and I won't open your throat for the whole block to see." The man behind her whispered in a british accent as he pressed the blade against her skin in an effort to make her comply. After a moment, he lessons the pressure against her throat, but keeps the knife in place. "There's a good girl. Now, I'm going to turn you around, and if you try to make a fuss I'm going to gut you like a stock pig, do you understand?"

Stephanie nodded carefully, wanting to avoid cutting herself on the knife and was swiftly turned around to face the man. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, with blonde hair that was cut short, and green eyes. He stood almost a head taller than her and was built like a swimmer, more slender than muscular, and his expression was cold and calculating behind the smile that graced his lips.

"Well, now, aren't you a pretty little thing." He stated, tightening the grip he had in her hair. "I look forward to our time together, Miss Plum." Stephanie's eyes widened at the sound of her name, and she opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off. "Yes, I know exactly who you are, Miss Plum, and as much as I would love to tell you how, I'm afraid we don't have much time." He turned his head away from her and as much as she wanted to kick him and run, Steph knew that she wouldn't get very far before that knife found it's way into her body. "Charles, take our...guest to the car and prepare to leave while I take care of some last minute details."

Stephanie felt herself being pulled away from the man holding her and looked down when she felt a pair of handcuffs encircle her wrists. Once the cuffs were in place, a chain was clipped to their center and she was pulled away. She looked around her and saw that they were near the airport, which made her blood run cold.

"Oh no, I am not going anywhere." She told the man pulling on her make shift leash. "Do you have any idea who you are messing with?"

Charles turned and looked at her with an almost bored expression.

"I don't really care, so if you would be so kind as to make my job easier that would be great." He replied.

"No I will not!" She shouted and started pulling away from him. Like hell she was going to be taken easily, she was Stephanie Plum, Bombshell Bounty Hunter, for crying out loud. She was going to make a scene. "Help!" She started screaming over and over again, not hearing the footsteps coming up behind her. "Help me! Help..." Her shouts were interrupted by a sudden burning sensation followed by a dull throb in her lower back, followed by a warming liquad moving down her body. Moments later, she slumped against the person behind her, unconscious.

"I hate it when they don't listen." He stated simply, wiping the blade on the sleeve of his button up shirt. "Charles, load her into the car and tend to that wound. We can't have her dying on us so quickly."

"Yes, Sir." Charles agree, bending down to pick up the injured woman and making his way to the car waiting for them.

 **O~O**

 **Alrighty y'all, that's the end of this chapter, and I know it's a bit short. I wanted to show what was going on with Stephanie and I hope it has met some of your expectations. I know I wrote her a little tame, but we're going to say that it's shock. Be sure to leave a review for me. My fingers move a lot faster when I get them.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: This Chapter gave me a lot of grief. Seriously, I think it took at least three tries to get it out, and I'm still not a 100% happy with it, but I went ahead and put it up. Let me know what you think. Oh, just for the sake of saving me from having to rewrite a chapter, just go with the fact that Ranger's been gone longer than what is stated in the first chapter.**

 **I want everyone that reads this to understand that while it might seem a little far fetched at times, that the mechanics are extremely accurate. This story is going to become a dark, feelers tingling and tragic romance. It is a Babe fic, and while I haven't decided whether or not to end him just yet, he is a bit of an asshole. don't like it, don't read it.**

 **Disclaimer: We all know I don't own it.**

 **O~O**

Chapter Four:

Ranger watched the scenery go by as his private plane started it's descent pattern, landing smoothly on the airstip. Heaving a soft sigh of relief, Ranger collected his bag and made his way off the plane, smiling at the piolet as he passed, thanking him for the ride hom.

Home.

He'd never been so thankful for his feet to touch the ground in Trenton. His mission had gone sideways as soon as he'd arrived and he'd spent the last four months trying to straighten it out. The newer generation of soilders weren't, in his opinion, up to the task of doing the dirty work. None of them wanted to get their hands dirty, or work, and given the types of jobs they were often called to do, that wasn't a popular mindset. He had quickly grown tired of hearing the boys in his unit complain about one thing after another, so much so that he had thought about shooting a couple of them just to put a stop to the noise. During their debriefing, Ranger told the General that if his next assignment was going to be with the same tean then to just shoot him and put him out of his misery.

Bringing himself back to the present moment, he smiled when he thought of his reason for coming home. He ached to go straight from the airport to her apartment, but knew he needed to check in with Rangeman first. Due to the extreme circumstances of his mission, he hadn't had access to a phone for the past week. The last he had heard from Tank, Rangeman had four new clients and Stepahnie was working for Vinnie full time again; he hadn't even been able to call once he was stateside due to the assignment's classification.

As quickly as he was able, Ranger climbed into the suv that he had waiting for him and drove to Rangeman. As he neared the building, a ball of lead came to rest in his stomach, and he frowned. Something was wrong, he could feel it, but couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that was bothering him.

Minutes later, he pulled into the garage , parked the car, and swiftly made his way up to the third floor. As the elevator doors opened, he stepped and was greeted by Tank and Lester, both of whom looked like their puppy had been kicked. The lead in his stomach climbed to his throat as he looked into the faces. He noticed the dark circles under their eyes and the exhaustion in thier body language.

"What happened?" He all but growled.

"Boss, we've tried..." Lester started to answer, but was swiftly cut off by a fist in his jaw, which sent him sprawling to the floor.

"Ranger, wait!" Tank grabbed Ranger from under the arms and held him behind the neck in an attempt to calm him.

"Where is she?" Ranger demanded, struggling with the hold that Tank was using.

"We need to go see Morelli, Ranger." Lester stated as he got to his feet, rubbing his jaw and staring at his cousin. "We just a call from him that he needs our help to locate who he thinks took Bomber."

"Took? What do you mean, took?" Ranger's voice was dangerously low and both men felt sorry for the men responsible for his anger.

Tank released Ranger, figuring that there wasn't any danger from him, at least for them.

"Three nights ago, someone spotted Vincent Nargurelli stuffing something into the trunk of his car, and the next day no one could find Bomber." Tank answered, motioning for the other two to follow him onto the elevator. "I told the General's office to tell you as soon as you landed, I'm surprised you haven't heard about this. We stopped by to see the cop later, after we couldn't find her at all and Bobby spotted a case file on his desk pretaining to the missing girls in Trenton, and about an hour ago he called us and wants to bring us in on the task force he's apart of."

The three men left the building and drove to the Trenton Police Department as quickly as they could without breaking any major traffic laws. Knowing Ranger's temper, Tank had comadered the wheel, which left the other man brooding in the passenger seat. Both Lester and Tank could see the anger and fear in Ranger's eyes and could only hope that they found Stephanie quickly, before Ranger did something he might forget.

Ranger stormed into the police department like a man on a mission, his eyes scanning the lobby for Joseph Morelli. His body langage and face gave off nothing as to his emotions, but his eyes were both terrified and cold as they made their way across the room. Finally, he spotted the cop making his way towards them, and walked with Tank and Lester to meet him halfway.

"Talk." Was all he said in greeting.

"Manoso, I see you're back from ending some poor bastard's life." Joe all but sneered, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Which could very easily be yours if you don't start talking." Ranger replied dangerously.

"Are you threatening a police officer, Manoso?" Joe straightened his back and took a step forward towards Ranger. Ranger clenched his fist and took a deep breath, tried to calm down, it wouldn't do well to knock the cop out when they needed his help.

"Morelli, I think it would be best if we met this task force and went over the case details that you told me about." Lester commented in an attempt to calm both men down.

The statement seemed to knock the wind out of both of their sails and after a tense moment, Joe led them to the conference room where the task force had set up. After brief introductions -the men of Rangeman don't often need to be introduced- they all sat down and began to go over the details of each missing woman's case.

"So you think that Stephanie was taken by the same person that took these women?" Lester asked after about an hour.

"We have reason to believe so, yes." One fo the men working on the case answered. "Detective Morelli was gathering evidence for a searh warrent for some property in Nargurelli's name that is located near the airport."

"The day after Stephanie went missing, I recieved this note in my mailbox." Joe interrupted, pulling the peice of paper Tank and Lester had seen in his hand when they had visited his office earlier. "Says, 'Miss Plum is quite a pretty woman, and I'm sure it will please to know that many men will have the privaledge of knowing what her skin feels like.' " He read the note with a shake of his head. "She should have married me a long time ago..." He began.

"I don't know if it's simply escaped your attention or if you are just that stupid, Morelli, because it's because of you that she's been mixed up in this whole thing." Ranger growled, glaring at the cop. "And if I were you, I would refrain from making comments that might land you a broken nose." He continued, clenching his fist in anticipation.

"What do you know about it, Manoso?" Joe nearly shouted as he pushed away from the table and stood. "The only reason you care about finding her, is so you can fuck her whenever you feel like it! She's nothing but a whore to you!"

Joe barely had enough time to finish the last sentence before Ranger was up and the collar of his shirt bunched into his hands.

"Call her that again, and I will show you what I do for a living, Morelli." Ranger threatened softly, leaning in to whisper in Joe's ear. He let his words seep in for a moment before releasing the man and looking at the other members of the task force. "My men and I will concentrate on finding Stephanie while you look for the others. Before we make any kind of move, we will inform you, but we have more resources for something like this." He told them simply, leaving no room for an argument, and motioned for Tank and Lester to follow him as he collected the files they needed and left.

As they neared the suv, Ranger turned to the other two men.

"Lester, I want you to call Mark in Boston, Lewis in Miami and have them put out alerts to all their underground contacts. Tank, see if your friend in New York City can put out a statewide bulletin on Steph's appearance and make sure they know it's life or death." He barked. "Knowing the kind of people we're up against, I want all international airports to know that anyone fitting her description is to be stopped and held until I can get there."

"I'll make the call." Lester responded and pulled out his phone immediantly.

"Boss, how are we going to handle this?" Tank asked.

"I will tear the world apart if it takes, Tank." Ranger answered softly.

"And when we find her?"

"I've killed for her before, and I will gladly do it again."

 **O~O**

 **Well guys, that's this chapter, I hope y'all like it. Be sure to give me some feed back, or idea about where you think this is headed. I like seeing all the things you guys come with. Or just let me know what you would like to see next chapter. So be sure to leave a review so my fingers know they are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

 **First off, I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. This chapter was a bit challenging for me to write out, so many directions it could have gone.**

 **Secondly, I would like to apologize for the horrible grammar in the last chapter. I literally uploaded it at 2am and I was thoroughly exhausted from my day. Usually, I take the time to spell check everything before I submit, but apparently all I wanted was to climb into bed.**

 **Thirdly, this chapter is pretty long, and I'm sorry. The momentum wouldn't allow me to cut it in half, so there's that.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the bad guys...and Trista, but you'll meet her in a bit.**

 **O~O**

 **Chapter Five:**

Light trickled into the room, dimly lighting it for it's captives to see. Heavy curtains covered the frames, leaving no more than two inches at the bottom for the light to enter, and behind the curtains, one could make out the outline of vertical bars. The room, along with dark, was dank and smelled musty, like old men who hadn't showered in weeks. The furniture was simple, and few, a full sized bed sat along one side of the room, and an oversized couch on the other. The bed look well used, and the couch comfortable, but something about the room felt off to those within it, like it was prison cell instead of a room.

Stephanie lay on her side on the bed, attempting to keep pressure off of her injury. Her eyes wandered over the room, and it's two other occupants, aimlessly. She'd been held for what felt like forever, but in all reality was no more than a week. She was mildly annoyed at herself for getting injured, when getting out of her situation would require all her energy, which she was currently using to recover from the stab wound the jackass brit had given her.

Her eyes landed on the two other women in the room with her, although one of them couldn't be more than sixteen, and cleared her throat to get their attention, and after a few tries, the younger lifted her head and looked at her.

"How old are you?" Stephanie asked softly, noticing the girl had tear tracks along her cheeks. Her skin looked pale beneath the layers of dirt that covered her. Her hair, which appeared to be a redish color was caked to her face and clearly hadn't been washed in a while. Her tiny body was covered by an white muscle tank top that hung off of her, and a pair of black track shorts. Stephanie noticed that the girl's green eyes looked haunted, as though she was older than she appeared.

"Fifteen." The girl's voice was so quiet Stephanie had to strain to hear it.

"What's your name?"

"Trista."

"Trista, my name is Stephanie. Do you know where we are?" She asked, moving slightly so that she was closer to the edge of the bed and could see and hear the gril better.

Trista gave a slight shrug and pulled her knees closer into her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"I'm not sure." She stated. "They take us to so many different places that I've lost track of what city we might be in."

Stephanie felt her eyes widen and she raised herself up onto her elbows.

"How long have you been with them?" She asked carefully, not wanting to upset the girl.

"I was taken December fourth of last year, least I think it was last year...What month is it?" Trista answered with a tilt of her head.

"It's September."

"Then, yeah, it was last year." She nodded. "I remember because i was at the winter formal at my school. I went with my friend James and got sick...he walked me home..."

"You were taken on the way, weren't you?" Steph asked, reaching her hand out to comfort the girl. Trista gave a shrug and shook her head, she was beyond receiving any kind of comfort. Stephanie gave the girl a small smile. "I know some men that will do anything to find me, and when they do, we can get you back to your family."

Trista shook her head again, scowling. "It doesn't work like that." She said. "They don't keep us together for very long, a week at the most. Separating us keeps us isolated and decreases their chances of getting caught." She explained quietly.

"I don't understand, who are they?" Stephanie asked, afraid of what the answer would be. "What do they want?"

"Slaves. They sell us to the highest bidder; only after they've properly trained us." Trista's voice was bitter, but Stephanie could still hear traces of her spirit. Even after being held for almost a year, the teenager wasn't broken. Stephanie knew adults that would have broken under less difficult circumstances.

"Animals."

"You should see what they do when you don't listen." Trista stated with a ever so slight smirk.

"I bet you give them hell." Stephanie nodded. "Listen, Trista, I told you about the men I know. They'd do anything to find me, and I have an idea that can help them, but I have to get a hold of one of them. You think you can help me?"

"Your boyfriend?"

"Not at all. He's one of my best friends. He's in the military actually, well formally." Steph explained. "You see, I do some part time work for a security company that is run by former members of the military and I'm really close to the owner. Unfortunately, when I was taken he was working over seas, so we are going to try to get a message to my partner -who happens to be his cousin."

"I don't know..." Trista bit her lower lip in thought. "If we get caught they could kill us."

"Trista, look at me. I will not let that happen." Stephanie told her firmly, leaving no room for the teenager to argue. After a moment, the girl nodded and Stephanie gave her a grin before patting the mattress in invitation. "Come up here, sweetie, that floor can't be comfortable."

A second later, Trista was curled up between the wall and Stephanie, sleeping for what was probably the first time in a while. Stephanie laid awake for awhile longer, trying to think of a way to get a message to the merry men. She had an idea, but it would be risky and she wasn't sure if the girl beside her would be willing to do it, like she'd said, if they were caught they could be killed.

 **O~O**

"Good morning, Boston, it's a beautiful day with the temperature at a comfortable seventy degrees..."

Stephanie woke up to the sound of what she could only guess was an alarm clock radio located in the room next to the one she'd slept in. She reached her arms out in front of her in an effort to stretch, careful not to aggravate her back. As the sleepy fog cleared her mind, she looked around, searching for the radio.

"Looks like the Red Socks' coach was caught with his pants down when a caller reported seeing him with a male prostitute after hosting a charity event last night. Well, that will certainly bring in some kind of press for the charity."

 _'Wait, they were in Boston? Oh this couldn't be more perfect.'_ Steph thought before turning to wake up Trista, but stopped when she realized the bed was empty. In a panic, she looked around the room and saw that she was the only one in it. _'Where was everyone?'_

As gingerly as she could, Stephanie sat up and ran her fingers through her untamed hair, grunting when her curls kept her from freeing her fingers. She fought them for a moment, pulling her hand away from her head in irritation. Racking her brain, she tried to think of a way to get out of the room.

As she sat and tried to come up with another plan, the door opened and she saw Trista and the other woman that had shared the room fall through the threshold.

"Be good girls and we will treat you nice." The burly man who had shoved them grinned, sending shivers up Steph's spine. A second later, he slammed the door.

"Oh, thank god, I thought you were gone for good." Steph whispered to Trista as the girl sat down on the bed.

"Might as well be." The other woman commented bitterly as she slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

Trista sighed softly and looked at Stephanie. "They are moving us again." She said, looking down. "I know you said you wanted to get out, but I don't think that's going to be possible now."

"Actually, I don't have to get out." Stephanie corrected. Trista's head snapped up and she looked at Steph with narrowed eyes. "You do. My plan was to get you out so you could deliver the message to my friend, and if they are moving us, then that makes it easier for you to escape." She explained.

"But I can't..."

"I will tell you were you need to go and who exactly to talk to." Stephanie reassured the girl softly, giving her a gentle pat on the back. "The only thing you have to do is run."

"I don't know if I can do it." Trista whispered, afraid.

"Trista, if we don't do this, then they will be able to continue to hurt other woman like you, me and...ummm...I'm sorry, but what's your name?" Stephanie looked at the woman curled up against the wall.

The woman lifted her hazel eyes and looked at Stephanie in a daze, almost like she hadn't been present for long time.

"She's been here too long to remember who she is." Trista stated, looking at the woman sadly.

Stephanie studied the woman closely, taking in her slender frame and stringy brown hair. She looked like she hadn't seen the sun in over a year and bruises covered her face, neck and shoulders. The threadbare dress she was wearing barely reached her knees and Stephanie could see distinct handprints encircling her thighs and ankles.

She tilted her head as she looked at the woman, who couldn't be any older than her late twenties. "You look like a Laura to me. So that's what I'm going to call you. Laura." She smiled warmly at the woman, who lowered her eyes to look at the floor. After a moment, Stephanie returned her attention to the teenager in front of her. "Trista, you can do this. You're stronger than you think you are, and once you reach your destination you will be safer than the president on a bad day."

Trista let a grin slip at the last comment, and nodded quickly.

"Alright, tell me where I need to go and who I need to talk to."

"That's my girl." Stephanie straightened up and looked Trista in the eye. "Alright, when they are loading us into whatever vehicle they are gonna put us in, I'm going to create a distraction...don't look at me like that, I have a gift for this kind of thing...Now, while all the men are trying to figure out what the hell is going on, I want you to run for it. I mean, I want you to run so fast that the kenyan olympians jealous. I want you to make your way to a building owned by Rangeman, just run into the entrance and give them a little finger wave." Stephanie explained, showing her the wave she usually gave the men in the control room. "Once you are inside, I want you to ask for Lester or Tank. Talk only to them, and mention me, okay? They will look out for you." She finished. "Did you get all that, because it is very important?"

"Run like hell, Rangeman, and Lester or Tank. Gotcha." Trista replied with a nod of her head.

"Good. Now who here in this building has hurt you?"

 **O~O**

They only waited an hour for the door to open, and were instantly pulled and pushed out of the room. The woman Steph had named Laura was first, with Stephanie behind her in an effort to shield Trista from view. Both Stephanie and Trista noticed a lack of restraints and silently thanked whoever made that decision.

As they neared what they assumed was the door leading outside, Stephanie took in her surroundings.

"I have to use the bathroom." She heard Trista tell the man leading them outside.

"Too bad."

"Alright then, but do you really want to explain to your boss why there is piss all over his van?"

Stephanie fought to hold in a snort at the comeback, biting her lower lip to keep from giggling.

The man stopped them and let out a frustrated growl. "Fine. You have two minutes." He stated, letting Trista run back into the bathroom, before leading Stephanie and Laura outside.

They stood for a moment, waiting to be loaded into the van. Stephanie tried to appear calm as she realized that Trista had not come back, and she hoped she would get enough of a head start. _'At least she took initiative.'_

"Alright, it's ready for them."

Stephanie glanced around as she was pushed closer to the dark van.

"Wait, I thought there were three of them?"

 _'Well, damn.'_ Stephanie stopped moving towards the vehicle in hopes of distracting the men surrounding her. She heard someone open the door to the house and rush inside.

"SHIT!"

The man that had gone inside ran back out and look around frantically.

"The little bitch is gone!" He shouted, causing every man to stop and look around the ally they were gathered in.

A couple of the men tried to push Laura and Steph into the van, but both women refused to budge. Stephanie looked around, hoping that Trista had had enough of a head start that she was long gone.

"There she is!" A voice shouted, causing Stephanie to turn and look. One of the men was pointing towards the open end of the ally, where Trista was darting across the street.

The man closest to Stephanie pulled a gun out of his waistband and aimed it at the teenager. Before she could do anything to stop him, Stephanie was shoved to the side by a mass and heard a cry as the man pulled the trigger.

"Damnit, Jerry, now look at what you did." A man near her complained as he roughly pulled her to her feet.

Laying on the ground, with a deep red puddle spreading out from underneath her, was Laura. Her eyes were open, and her breathing was shallow. Stephanie struggled with the man holding her for a moment before he let her sink to her knees in front of the woman.

Laura gave Stephanie a pain filled and bloody smile as she struggled to breath. She reached out a bony hand and gave Steph's a squeeze. "My...name was...Tori Roland...1988...oklahoma..." Her voice broke and blood spilled down her chin, gagging her, a moment later the life left her eyes.

With tears streaming down her face, Stephanie was shoved into the back of the van and handcuffed to the oh shit handle. She watched in horror as Tori's body was lifted and thrown into the house that now had smoke billowing out of the windows.

 **O~O**

 **Okay folks, that's this chapter. It was hard to write for many personal reasons, but I hope you enjoyed it. I will say that this story will not be getting any lighter for a bit. It's going to take a few angsty turns before we get to the HEA. Be sure to leave a review, suggestion, question, complaint, hope, and or dream for our lovely characters in the box. It does my fingers good to read feedback. Until next time my lovlies.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh my goodness, I am so sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. My laptop died on me, then our interwebs went out on us, and since I spend most of my day is spent with a 2 year old, my writing has taken a back seat. Again, my apologies.**

 **All the spelling and grammar errors are mine, so be patient, I usually do my writing late at night. Oh, and don't forget that this story is rated M for a reason.**

 **Thank you for all the reviews, I really do enjoy reading them. Some of you guys have asked some interesting questions, and I can't wait to see how this all plays out.**

 **Disclaimer:...Nope, not the owner.**

 **0~0**

 **Chapter Six**

The shrill screaming of his alarm dragged Lester out of the state of unconsciousness he had been in. Keeping his eyes closed, he reached for his phone and blindly answered it with an exhausted grunt.

"Ummm...Lester?" A familiar voice on the other end questioned, instantly pulling Lester to attention. Sitting up in the chair he had fallen asleep in, he gave his full attention to the caller.

"That you Mark?" He knew he sounded desperate, but it had been a long night and he needed some good news.

"Yeah, you want to explain to me why I have a teenager in my office that won't talk to anyone but you?" Mark's voice sounded restrained, and Lester could only assume why.

"Hey, man, all my action comes from adults." He snapped. He might be a playboy, but he had limits on how he played the game.

"Then what do you want me to do with her? She comes barrelling into our lobby yelling something about a finger wave, you and Tank."

Lester sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in response. He did not have time for this, he had to find...his inner monologue was cut off by a snarky sounding voice from the other side of the line.

"Well, if you had taken a moment to listen you would have heard me tell you that Stephanie sent me!"

Lester was out of his chair faster than the Flash on a hot date, and without even stopping to look to see if his bug out bag was in his office he made his way to the door.

"Santos, did you...?" Mark asked softly, and Lester knew that he was reacting the same way at the moment.

"I heard it. We'll be up there within the hour." He answered and hung up. Within minutes he was outside Ranger's office, where he saw Bobby going over body reports from the morgues with thier boss. He knocked, non too gently, on the door frame to get their attention. "Rangeman, we're going to Bosten, now." He stated simply before making his way towards the car garage. He knew that Ranger would call Tank on the way to the car and they would see him at the airport. He didn't care if he didn't have his bug out bag, he'd grab stuff while they were in Boston, so he went straight to the SUV, only to be joined by Bobby and Ranger a few minutes later.

Thirty minutes later, they were headed towards the Boston office. And maybe some answers.

 **0~0**

Trista watched as the men around her ran around as though the Queen of England was coming for a visit, and tried to make herself as small as possible. It wasn't hard to do since the shirt and pants she was currently wearing could fit the Russian circus inside them without a problem. As soon as the man she figured was in charge had gotten off the phone with who she could only assume was Lester, he had asked if one of their lab guys could take her clothes to analyze them. It took him nearly twenty minutes to get her to agree and only because the sister of one of his co-workers had pointed out that she would need something else to wear and let her borrow a pair of her brother's clean gym clothes.

Obviously, this place was run by a bunch of clueless bachelors.

The sound of the door to the office opening caused Trista to jump and spin to face whomever was entering, her eyes widening as she took in the size and demeanor of the man standing before her. Almost instantly she wrapped her arms around her middle in an effort to make herself disappear, fear beginning to override her system. The dark skinned mountain stepped into the room and moved towards the side of the door, watching her like someone who would watch a wounded lion. As the man moved, another stepped in to take his place inside the door and she back away, trying to keep eyes on both of them.

The second man lifted his hands up in the universal sigh for "I surrender" and held them in front of his chest as he took a couple more steps into the room. Suspicious, the teen watched him like a hawk as he moved closer to her. As her eyes met his, she felt herself begin to relax and she while she continued to watch him, she knew he wouldn't hurt her. Once he was within arms reach of her, he surprised her by slowly sinking to his knees in front of her and gave her a warm smile. Hesitantly, she returned it.

"Trista, is it?" His voice was soft as he spoke, and she found herself relaxing farther as she nodded. "I'm Bobby. It's nice to meet you. You'll have to forgive the big guy, I know he can be a bit much." The sound of his calm tone and warm demeanor allowed Trista to lift her lips in a smirk and she glanced at the man in the corner of the room, sticking her tongue out at him. "I know you said you only wanted to talk to Tank or Lester, so let me introduce you to Tank." Bobby gestured to Tank, who nodded his head in greeting.

"Are you Lester?" Trista asked, sounding much younger than a fifteen year old.

Bobby shook his head slowly for a moment before glancing over his shoulder to look at the door, where two men now stood.

"My name is Bobby, and I'm a medic." He answered, looking at her once more. "We figured you mind respond better to someone who has a better bedside manner." Trista grinned at the logic, even she had to admit that he had been right. "And I thought that I could look over any injuries you might have while you spoke to Lester or Tank."

Trista could feel the tension in the room, she could feel it rolling off the men in waves and it took all her willpower to keep from collapsing in on herself like she'd learned to over the past year. She knew that these men could help her, that they could help her get home, but talking to them seem like an impossible task. But then, escaping was suppose to be an impossible task and she had done that, with help of course.

Stephanie's help.

At the thought of the curly haired woman who had risked her own life to help her escape the hell she grown used to, she felt an inner strength surge through her. Her spine straightened and she looked into the eyes of each man standing before her.

"What do you need from me?"

 **0~0**

"That girl is my hero." Lester stated simply as the four of them walked into the conference room.

"Same here." Bobby murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose. The tiny teenager had suffered a fractured ulna, ribs, a sprained ankle, and countless cuts and bruises from running on concrete barefoot. During his initial exam he had noticed severe bruising along her side, and after having an x-ray machine brought in from the in building medical unit, he found she had fracturing along her ribcage.

"I can see why Bomber sent her to us. I'm sure another beating for that girl would have been the last one." Tank sighed as he collapsed into a chair, throwing the notes he had taken onto the surface of the large table in front of him. "Girl's got spirit, just like Bomber."

"Unfortunately, she won't be able to take us back to the building where they were being kept." Ranger pointed out. He lowered himself into a chair and ran his hand over his face, as if to clear away the exhaustion that was visible there. "She couldn't barely tell us how she got here."

"Well, from what she told us, this isn't some local group that stays in the same place for long, so even if she was able to take us back, the chances of them being there are slim to none." Bobby responded as he too took a seat across from Ranger. "Everything she said points to a high level of organization and that means it's an international ring."

"True, but rings like that are hard to track and even harder to penetrate." Lester pointed out, a yawn ripping through his statement.

"Tomorrow we are going to hit the streets and put pressure on all our contracts. See if anyone will tell us something useful."

"Rangeman, these organizations work because communities are afraid of them."

"Then we will just have to make sure they fear us more.

 **0~0**

 **And there we go, the next chapter of this story. I tried to make a little longer since you guys had to wait so long for it, and I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to send me some review love. I promise I'm already starting on the next chapter, but I wanna see what you guys have to say about where this heading so far. So please, leave me any hopes, dreams, complaints, questions, or ideas you might have.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I promised that I was working on the next chapter, and here it is! I will try to start updating much more frequently, but I do have a toddler so that could make it dicy at times.**

 **Thank you for the reviews, they really warm my heart and I hope I'm not disappointing anyone with the turns this story will take. It is rated M for a dark reason and this chapter is a step in that direction, if that kind of thing bothers you then I apologize.**

 **Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

 **0~0**

 **Chapter Seven**

"You know, I used to have a mare that was a lot like you, brillant creature really, but in the end she broke all they all do."

Stephanie kept her eyes closed as the snarky british voice taunted her. Her body felt heavy with the effects of whatever drug they had been bumping into her since the ride in the van. She knew they were trying to keep her, and the few other girls she had seen over the past weeks, sedated as a way to control them, and she found herself constantly fighting it. She'd be damned if she let them win. Currently, she was leaning against a wall, although slumping was probably a more accurate discription, trying to steady her breathing and recover from a recent blow to the stomach. Gingerly, she pulled her legs towards her so that her knees were bent and straightend her back.

Opening her eyes, she easily found the blond Brit since he was squating in front of her. Licking her swollen and cut lower lip, she smirked at him.

"I had a boyfriend a lot like you. Attractive really, but in the end he was still a jackass." She told him, and while her voice was soft, it still held a challenging tone.

Unfortunately, her small victory was short lived as a closed fist drove itself into the side of her jaw. Her head snapped to the side and her temple collided with the wall, and she heard the tell tale sound of a bone fracturing. Perfect, that was just what she needed, another injury.

"I don't know why you continue to fight." The Brit stated as he rose to his feet, his expression one of both exasperation and boredom. "If you would just learn to play nice, then all this unnessecary pain would stop." As he spoke, he turned away from her, to face a long table on the opposite side of the room.

Stephanie slowly turned her head to watch the man before her, dizzy from the pain of the blow to her jaw. She strained her eyes to see the surface of the table, and caught glimpses of metal objects. That didn't seem like a good thing, and she looked around for the door, hoping that he had left it un attended.

"Miss, Plum, I have been in this buisness for nearly twelve years, do you really think I would turn my back on a door if I thought you could actually get out?" His voice peirced her ears and she let out a low growl. Against her better judgment, she struggled to stand and tried to amble towards the door. Once she was within arms reach, she gripped the handle and twisted, only to find it locked. "Like I said, Miss Plum, you cannot get out." She turned to face the source of the voice coming from behind her. The Brit was now facing her, holding an odd looking object in his hand."The door will not open until I tell one of my associates to open it."

Stephanie eyed the object in his hands curiously, and warily as she tried to think of another way out. She could feel the fog of the drug try to cloud her mind and she gave a violent shake of her head, causing the damage in her jaw to shout in protest.

"I see, you've noticed my little friend here." He lifted the object in his hand, giving Stephanie a good look at it. It resembled a metal tampon, but where the string would normally be located there was what looked like a metal screw. The bottom half appeared to be also made of metal with creases. "This is what is referred to as the Pear of Agony." He continued, beginning to twist the metal screw, and Stephanie watched as the bulb began to open slowly. "You see, I have found that this is one of the best ways to getting an unruly product to behave, and while I have enjoyed our time together I am afraid that I am on a bit of time limit with you." As he spoke, the Brit turned to face the table once again and began to clear it. "I would step away from that door if I were you, Miss Plum. I would hate to see you get hurt."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the door behind her was thrown open and in her weakend state, Stephanie was thrown to the floor, a cry of pain escaping her lips as her face hit the hardwood. Before she was able to get her bearings, she felt a large hand circle her throat and squeeze. Desperately, she clawed at the hand, but found it was in vain, the man holding her was too large and the drugs in her system made her weaker.

After a moment or two she felt herself being lifted and placed onto the table. In her mind, she knew she should be fighting like the wild cat everyone in Trenton thought she was, but she couldn't get her limbs to obey her. Her skin prickled as it was exposed to the air and she felt her mind clear ever so slightly, enough to know that her legs being held apart was not a good sign.

"Touch me...and I swear...Batman will be...your worst nightmare." She stuttered as she twisted her body in an effort to throw her attackers off her.

"I'm sure." The Brit responded as large man holding her pinned her hips and stomach with his arms and trapped her left leg over the edge of the table. Using one hand to force one of her knees to bend and lay against the table, the Brit used the other to swiftly insert the now closed pear into her, causing her to let out a whimper of pain. "Now, be sure to scream for me, Miss Plum, I like to know how well I'm doing." As he spoke, he began to twist the screw and open the bulb.

Stephanie let out a scream as the bulb opened inside of her, pushing against her inner most parts. The feeling of the device filling her, the pressure that it caused built until it became unbearably painful. She could feel her muscles stretching and tearing as the pear was opened further, until she thought it might burst out of her. As she continued to scream, she felt a hand make its way around her throat and a voice in her ear.

"I have always had a fascination with methods of torture, Miss Plum, and therefore I am quite at home using such means to gain what I want." The Brit whispered softly, and she felt the pear open further as his associate continued where he left off. "And right now, do you what I want? I want to see the fight leave your eyes as you finally realize that I can do anything I want to you and no one will be able to stop me." As if to empasize his point, his hand around her throat tightened, cutting her scream short as she struggled for air. "I want you to know that I literally hold your life in my hands, and that I can take it just as quickly as I please." His grip loosened and Stephanie tried to suck in a lungfull of air but another scream left her as the pear was opened as far as it would go. The pressure on her hips was unbearable, and for a moment she thought they might snap out of place. "Unfortunately, you are meant for a man that doesn't quite agree with my brand of pleasure, so I cannot do any permanant damage, but in the short time we have left I plan to have all manner of fun with you."

His hand tightened around her throat once again, and she felt the blackness close around her. Her last conscious thought was of Ranger, a silent prayer that he would find her.

 **0~0**

 **"** IT'S BEEN WEEKS!"

The faces of the men sitting around the conference table resembled deer caught in headlights as the angry statement filled the room, hallway, and they were pretty sure people in the lobby heard it.

Lester leaned back in his chair and peered out the door in an effort to see down the hall where Ranger's office was located. The door was open and he could see the shape of his cousin and boss standing and facing the other occupant.

"Oh man, Morelli picked a bad day to be an assbutt." He whispered to the two other men sitting across from him.

Bobby and Tank both gave Lester a curious look at the use of the unusual swear word.

"Assbutt?" Tank questioned.

"Yeah, assbutt." Lester answered, looking at the two of them like they had antlers growing out of their heads. "Don't you guys watch _'Supernatural'_?" The two men shook their heads and chuckled softly. "Oh, well, that's your loss, it's hilarious."

"Anyway." Tank's voice brought them back to the original subject. "What did Morelli have to tell Ranger about anyway?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it isn't good." Lester answered, and the three silently stood and made their way to the office. Leaning in door frame, Lester eyed the door men. "Hey, Bossman, everything cool?"

"Obviously not, Santos." Morelli snapped, causing all four men to let out low growls.

"Watch it Morelli, you're on my home field now, and I can promise you that the cops will believe I beat your ass in self defense." Ranger growled as he made his way back to his desk. Slowly, he sat in his chair and gestured for his men to fully enter the room. "It appears that Trenton's finest can't locate Vincent Nargurelli."

"Did they try all his local haunts?" Bobby asked.

"Of course we did, you glorified pharmedic." Joe defended.

"Shut it, Morelli, you've lost your talking privileges." Ranger snapped. "Actually, since you aren't able to contribute, I suggest you leave and try to find out something useful." He pointed to the door and smirked in satisfaction as Morelli stomped out of his office. "Now, what have you guys been able to find out?"

Lester, Bobby, and Tank took their seats.

"The only incident report that looked unusual was a fire in downtown Boston, but the fire marshall hasn't been able to find anything that might point to what happened." Bobby started, shaking his head. "The fire was started with an alcohol based excellerant but aren't any closer to figuring out the who or why."

"What kind of building was it?"

"Commercial, and residential. It was an old deli that had a small one bedroom house attached to it, which wasn't currently occupied." Bobby answered, looking at the report on his tablet.

Ranger leaned back in his chair and let a soft sigh leave his lips. It had been just over a month since he had gotten back to find his Wonder Woman gone, and the weight of that event was evident on his face. He had known for years that he had feelings for her, but had refused to let himself act on them. It wasn't just the on and off again relationship with the cop that made things so complicated, but his current occupation. His contract with the government wasn't due to be up until later in the year. For Christmas, he had wanted to take Stephanie to meet his family. All of them. Unfortunately, with the way this case was headed, he might not be able to make that happen.

He had to find her.

"Hey, Bossman, I just had an idea." Tank spoke quietly, knowing that he was pulling his friend from his thoughts. "What if we took Trista to the burnt building? I mean, it's only a few miles away from the Rangeman office, so she might be able to point out where she came from if she was actually in the area."

"That sounds like a good idea actually." Ranger agreed with his second in command. "How is she doing anyway?" He asked Lester, who had been spending the most time with her.

"She's getting better. Her injuries have been healing properly and she eats more than Hal, but she's still getting nightmares." Lester told the other three, sighing softly. He could only imagine the images that filled her mind while she slept. "She denies it, but I can hear her crying out in the night. I'll come out into the living room and she's watching tv."

"You think she would help?" Ranger asked. Lester nodded. "Alright, be sure to get a hold of the social services lady that is in charge of Trista's case and make sure it will be okay to take her out of state." As he spoke, Bobby was already pulling out his phone to call the woman they needed to speak to. "Alright men, let's go to Boston."

 **0~0**

 **Alright you guys, there it is. I'm sorry if it feels a little...awkward, but after 3 or 4 tries, this was the best I could make it. Be sure to give me some review love and let me know what you think.**


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